Did you think you knew eBay? Think again…

eBay is the place to go on the internet if you are looking to buy or sell new and used items. Originally established as an e-commerce platform in 1995, founder and CEO Pierre Omidyar’s mission was to create an online marketplace which connects buyers and sellers.

Initially founded as AuctionWeb, the website and auction-style format was an instant hit and it is one of the internet’s very first major success stories.

The first ever item sold on eBay was a broken laser pointer, which was purchased by a man from Canada. Upon seeing this, CEO Omidyar called the buyer to double-check that he knew that the laser pointer was broken, and the response surprised him: the buyer was a collector of broken laser pointers. This highlights that there truly is something for everyone on eBay.
In 1997, the company’s name was changed to eBay (short for Echo Bay, the name Omidyar originally wanted to give eBay but, unfortunately, was already being used).

Over the years, eBay grew massively in popularity and has acquired over thirty other companies including PayPal and Up4Sale. These acquisitions have massively contributed to the platform’s growth.

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In 2017, eBay had over 160 million active users with buyers from all corners of the world across 180 different countries and markets. Today, there are billions of products sold by millions of sellers.

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The major cause of eBay’s massive growth and residual popularity are the many deals which are offered on the eBay platform.
Today, eBay is recognised as one of the most successful companies in the e-commerce world, employing over 12,000 people and turning revenues close to $9 billion.

We could talk forever about lots of different and interesting eBay facts and figures, but why not check out our infographic yourself and see all the unique details and facts about this e-commerce giant?